Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in Brazil’s third-largest poultry producing and exporting state – Rio Grande do Sul.
On May 29t, the state’s authorities informed that black-necked swans had tested positive for the virus in the coastal municipality of Santa Vitoria do Palmar. This is the first time that the virus has been detected in the state since HPAI entered Brazil two weeks ago, bringing the total number of states to register outbreaks to three.
Laboratory testing has confirmed that the sick or dead birds, found at Lagoa da Mangueira, were infected with HPAI and official veterinary services have subsequently visited 74 rural properties within a 10 km radius of the outbreak to carry of clinal and epidemiological testing. No cases of infection have been found in domesticated birds.
Key poultry production state
Rio Grande do Sul accounted for almost 13.8% of the broilers slaughtered in Brazil last year and over 16.2% of the country’s broiler meat exports. It is also the second-largest egg exporter, contributing a little over 29% to Brazil’s total egg exports in 2022, and sitting only marginally behind the country’s largest-egg exporting state Mato Grosso.
In contrast, Espirito Santo, the first Brazilian state to report HPAI incursion, while a major egg producer, accounts for less than 0.7% of Brazil’s broiler production.
